1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to hose reels and, more specifically, to a hose reel structured for ease of use and maintenance.
2. Background Information
Hose reel assemblies are devices structured to assist in transporting and using hoses, typically garden hoses for dispensing water. Generally, the hose reel assembly includes a base or housing assembly structured to rotatably support a reel, or “basket assembly.” The basket assembly's primary components are a barrel, around which an outlet hose is wrapped, two hubs which are coupled to the housing assembly, and guide plates which define the usable area of the barrel. The basket assembly also includes a crank, used to turn the basket primary components, and a water conduit having a movable outlet and a generally stationary inlet. The stationary inlet of the conduit extends away from the reel and is structured to be coupled to a supply hose which is further coupled to a water supply. The movable outlet of the conduit is disposed on the circumference of the reel. The outlet hose is coupled to the movable outlet and is used to deliver water to the end use. Hose reel assemblies also may include an autotrack device structured to wind the outlet hose on the reel in a controlled manner. In this configuration, an outlet hose may be coupled to the movable end of the conduit and, when the reel is rotated, the hose is wrapped, or unwrapped, about the reel. Thus, a hose may be transported and/or stored on the hose reel assembly.
The hose reel assembly typically is made of plastic and sold in a disassembled state. While manufactures try to make the assembly of a typical hose reel relatively simple, there are many components of a hose reel assembly that are difficult for some users to install or assemble. As such, manufactures try to include as many preinstalled components as possible. The disadvantage to having preinstalled components, however, is that some components, especially those like the crank handle that extend away from the body of the hose reel, require additional room in the shipping container and/or storage box. Accordingly, some manufactures have devised structures that are partially collapsible, such as a folding crank handle, that reduce the volume/size of the hose reel during shipping. Unfortunately, these structures are also designed to snap into an extended position and not be collapsed again, or, if structured to be collapsible, the crank handles did not provide easy to access to, or identify, release buttons. This situation created other disadvantages, namely users causing wear and tear to the plastic components by forcing the components into the desired configuration.
Another component that has been traditionally subject to wear and tear is the autotrack device. The autotrack device is used to guide the hose as the hose is being wound about the basket. The autotrack device includes two spaced, parallel rods, wherein one rod includes a bi-directional track, and a follower assembly. The follower assembly engages the track and, as the user rotates the basket using the crank, the follower assembly moves back and forth on the two rods. The hose passes through the follower assembly and, as such, the hose is wrapped around the basket in a controlled manner. As the autotrack device is only required during winding of the hose, manufacturers typically structured the autotrack device to be engaged only during the winding of the hose and disengaged during unwinding. This procedure reduces wear and tear on the autotrack device as the autotrack device is only in limited use. Many users, however, have found the present design of the autotrack device release to be difficult to operate. As such, the users will simply leave the autotrack device engaged at all times, thereby increasing the wear and tear.
Additionally, users are also known to have difficulty in disassembling, or at least partially disassembling, the hose reel assembly as is required for certain maintenance operations, such as accessing the water system for lubrication. That is, in the prior art, the water system included a conduit having a generally stationary inlet and a movable outlet. The generally stationary inlet is coupled to the hose reel assembly housing assembly, and has a generally circular pipe extending into the reel. The water system also included a rotating outlet, coupled to the reel, and having a wide diameter pipe extending into the reel. The inlet pipe extended into the outlet pipe. The inlet pipe disposed in the outlet pipe creates the water system conduit. An O-ring, or other sealing device, is disposed at the interface between the inlet and the outlet pipes to resist water leaking therefrom. A user typically needed to substantially disassemble the water system, using tools, for such simple maintenance operations as lubricating the water system O-rings. As such, the maintenance procedures are time consuming and difficult and users simply failed to perform the required maintenance, furthering degradation due to wear and tear.
As such, there is a need for a hose reel that is structured for easy assembly and maintenance.
There is a further need for a hose reel assembly having an easily collapsible crank handle.
There is further need for a hose reel assembly having an easily accessible water system.
There is a further need for a hose reel assembly having an easily engaged/disengaged autotrack device.